Stocking-knitting machine.



R. W. SCOTT.

STOCKING KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mp0 OCT. 22. I914- Patented May 1, 1917.

at, W

sired parts, of

mentary article automat cally of carrier and yone-segment oftthe product with widely- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE' ROBERT "W. SCOTT, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT AND WILLIAMS INCORPORATED, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

SETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed October 22, 1914. Serial No. 868,108.

.labricshaving sections side by side of a different texture, such for instance as plain fabric stockings suitable for childrens wear having a leg of plain fabric of a comparatively coarse texture, a relatively narrow foot, and a heel, sole and toe, axfincr texture. 1 Inthe accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a horizontal section the needle carrier;

' Fig. 2 is a plan taken above the Webholder bed, showing the needles in diagram in plan; I I

Fig 2-5 is a. detailed vertic: 1 section on the line ti -El Fig; 4,.showing the needles, Webholdcrs amlnieans cooperating with said instruments to knit; and

d lg. l a diagram through development illusthe needles and web-holders with respect to each other.

When producing articles of the desired sort upon stocking knitting machines, it has heretofore been found necessary, in order to obtain a sutlicicnt difference between the coarse fabric and the line fabric, to provide for the operation of an increased number of needles at the parts of the fabric more closely knit, for instance, by providing for the operation of alternate needles intervening among the others for the liner fabric.

in order to avoid changing the number of needles in operation and for other purposes, inchiding capacity for making the complecoarse and-fine fabric parts of the predetermined adjusted relative idths, I provide a needle needles arranged for knitting W. Soon, a

or other despaced needle Wales, and cotlperatingmeans for knitting another segment of the fabric of the same texture or of a finer texture, andot a width variable through a wide range at certain times in the production of the article.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the needle carrier 260 may he as shown a grooved needle cylinder adapted for cooperation with the remaining instruments of a suitable circular independent needle knitting machine, for instance such a machine as that described and claimed in my application Serial No. 7%,070 filed February 3, 1913 out No. 1,152,850, dated Sept. 1915). A

part A of'said cylinder carrying needles to knit the front half of the stocking is provided with needle grooves a regularly spaced at a certain distance apart, while'the remainder Bot said cylinder is provided with needle grooves b closer together.- For instance I may provide 102 grooves 05 and 118 grooves decoupled by 220 needles.

Mounted fixedly upon said needle cylinder, a Web-holder bed 295 is provided with a similar number of grooves w for independently movable web-holders 290 taking between the needles n occupying the grooves 11 at the fronhalf Aof said cylinder, and with a similar number of grooves '11) for web-holders taking between the needles n at the back half B of said cylinder.

- lieation Serial No. 7&6 070 com )risin a a l is movable web-holder cam 312 mounted on eb-holder cam ring 301' and capable of being moved through an adjustable distance, atpre de'termined times by the cam 370 and connection v4:60, to insert said webholdcr cam 312, tomove lnthe Web-holders when movement of, said connection may determinc, at an earliertime with respect to the stitch 'drawi g, movement given the needies n "For this purpose ,web-holders 290,

Letters Pat associated with needles n may have for contactwith cam 312 longer butts than the remaining web-holders, whose butts do not contact with the cam 312. As shown in Fig. 4 the normal operation of the needles comprises their advance by the leading stitch cam 7, partial retraction by top center cam 8 to a level between the said top center cam 8 and bottom center cam 9 (at which level said needles take yarn) and a subsequent retraction at stitch cam -6 to draw their stitches, the heads of the-needles moving at the line 12. v

The normal movement of the web-holders 290, (arbitrarily shown for clearness in the same plane as the needle movement) causes their hooks to travel as shown at the full line 292, but when the cam 312 is operated by the connecti0n460 the web-holders having longer butts move inward at an adjust able earlier time on the dotted line 293, thus inserting their hooked portion between the needles at an earlier time with respect to their down-going movement at cam 6, to determine a longer stitch.

While I have illustrated said specific means for the adjustable local elongation of the stitches at the needles 02 it will be understood that my invention is independent of said specific means and I may employ any other known or usual means for locally varying the length of the stitch at said closely spaced needles.

In operation the parts of the stocking requiring to be knit of a coarser texture are knitupon needles 72., W, the web-holdcrs 290 having longer butt-s associated with the needles 12 being operated to draw at said needles n" stitches so long as to produce the same texture or a nearly similar texture as at the more widely spaced needles n.

Said needles n may be the longer butt needles employed for the instep and top of the foot or any other segment of the needles, and the heel, toe and sole of the stocking may be knit upon all oi the needles at, or the remainder of the series of needles, the web-holders being adjusted for heel and toe knitting to their normal position, to draw the normal length of loops. Owing to the Wide variation in stitch length obtainable by means of cam 312, the sole, heel and toe may be knit on needles of of close fabric of any desired predetermined relative width. The operation may include knitting a leg on needles n n having a texture rendered uniform by inserting the web-holders at needles n in the described manner, then knitting afiner textured section above the ankle by adjusting the webholders to insert them at needles n at a later time, needles n continuing to make coarse fabric; then knitting a heel on needles n as usual, and then knitting a foot having coarse fabric at needles 1; and

fabric at needles n of the closer texture ing and yarn-splicing devices, such as the device F for said purposes fully shown and described in my said application.

The machine may also be provided with anyknown or usual devices, such as those of my said application (not shown) for knitting heels and toes at the needles n.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a stocking knitting machine, the combination with needles and means co operating with a segment thereof to knit heels 'and toes, of a needle carrier holding for cooperation with said knitting means the needles of said segment in more closely spaced relation than the remaining needles.

2. In a knitting machine a needle carrier, independently movable needles therein spaced more closely at one part than at another part thereof, and means for knitting at all of said needles, in combination with means acting at predetermined times to adjust the stitch length at said closely spaced needles only.

3. In a knitting machine, a needle. carrier having needle grooves therein spaced more closely at one part than at another part thereof, independently movable needles in said grooves, and automatic means cooperating with all of said needles at times to knit fabric of like texture at all part of said carrier, and at times to knit of different texture at the differently spaced needles.

4. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier having needle grooves therein spaced more closely at one part than at another part thereof, needles in said grooves, means for knitting at all of said needles and means cooperating with said closely spaced needles to knit fabric of fine or of coarse texture at predetermined times.

5. .Ina knitting machine a needle carrier and needles therein spaced apart for coarsetextured knitting, another series of needles in said carrier spaced for finer-textured knitting, web-holders, and means ooiiperating with said web-holders to cause said last mentioned needles to knit coarse-textured and finer-textured web at nwltermined times.

6. In a knitting machine, in combination,

grooves for movable nee- -.holders the said grooves being more closely spaceyi on one side of a sl'lbsta-ntial lg central plane than at theiother "side thereo I In testimony whereof, I have signed my- ROBERT Witnesses W; J. HAGERTY, M, M. MGKAY.

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 

